Profits. Benefits.
Human nature is such, when people are presented with the promise of opportunity, more often than not they will willingly set their reservations aside and turn their attention toward what lies ahead instead.
Such became the prevailing atmosphere inside the United Nations Assembly after a certain point in the proceedings.
The council of world leaders had little objection to the wizarding world's decision to reveal its existence, in fact, many were proactive in offering their cooperation to the process as well.
Of course, it was not as straightforward as it sounded.
Everyone present in the hall had watched the ICW Congress two days earlier and understood that this was an inevitable development. There was nothing to be gained by contradicting it, whereas the opportunities were many. That calculation did not take long to make.
This was something highlighted during the ICW Congress, particularly the address delivered by the Minister for Magic of Great Britain, which captured their attention more than any other.
In his address, the Minister spent much of his time talking about the benefits the disclosure would bring to both worlds. Trade, alchemical products that even ordinary humans could use like any other machine, and much more besides. And that was only scratching the surface.
From a purely economic perspective, it was the equivalent of introducing an entirely new category of product into a market as vast and hungry as the global economy, a market that had, until now, had no idea any of it existed. The cake was simply too big for any one to eat alone.
The rest hardly needed to be said.
Jameson's address that day also touched upon the healing magic of the wizarding world and what it would mean for the non-magical population once such treatments became available to them as well.
Although the governments of the two worlds had long maintained a degree of cooperation, many of the wizarding world's greatest secrets remained concealed, or at the very least, were never fully disclosed to their non-magical counterparts. Among them were restorative potions and the extraordinary field of magical medicine itself.
Even if potions did not work at their full potency on those without magic of their own, and in most cases modern medicine remained the more reliable option for them, there were still areas where magical potions held a clear advantage.
More precisely, magical potions possessed unique properties capable of overcoming limitations that modern medicine simply could not.
Take the so-called incurable diseases as an example. With the help of potions and magic, many of them could be cured even in non-magical people. That was not a hopeful claim or a speculative one, but a fact that had been established and documented long ago, simply never shared.
There were many other examples as well. Beyond that, magical medicine itself was an enormous field with tremendous potential for cooperation between the two worlds.
If the world had been a cartoon, dollar signs would no doubt have been gleaming visibly in the eyes of every politician in the room.
So all things considered, aside from the period of adjustment the world would need to adapt to its new reality, there was nothing but opportunities in the merging of the two worlds.
A unanimous consensus was reached in just over an hour. The non-magical world would fully cooperate throughout the integration process, committing its resources to gradually educate the global population and help humanity adapt to the new reality.
Maverick's proposal regarding the initial disclosure also passed without objection. Immediately following the Assembly, a press conference would be held inside this very chamber, with major news organizations from around the world invited to attend and given the opportunity to even question the representatives of the magical world leaders.
The people responsible for organizing that were already at work, meanwhile, the Assembly continued "debating" the finer details of the integration process.
And it was there, once the conversation had changed from the question of whether to the question of how, and more specifically to the question of who stood to benefit most from the answer, that things became considerably less harmonious. Centred on interests and profits, no nation was willing to budge so much as an inch.
"Your Excellencies," the Spanish monarch said looking toward the seven figures seated at the long table facing the Assembly. His tone was anything but pleased, "surely you can see how unbalanced this is? Britain has already been selected to establish the Central Trading Hub serving both worlds, as well as the future United Nations Headquarters representing our two civilizations. And now to establish the Joint Banking Authority there as well..."
He looked around the chamber before continuing. "Are the rest of our nations simply expected to stand by while one country becomes the centre of everything?"
"Oh come now, Carlos," the Queen of England responded almost immediately. "Aren't you overlooking one rather important detail? The Central Trading Hub and the Joint Banking Authority are closely intertwined by their very nature. Would it not be considerably more practical to have both institutions headquartered in the same location?"
"Then, Your Majesty," someone else offered from across the chamber, wearing the particular smile of someone making a point they had been waiting to make for some time, "I trust you would have no objection to the new United Nations Headquarters being established in another country?"
In your dreams.
Naturally, the Queen of the United Kingdom didn't say those words aloud, but the expression on her face conveyed them clearly enough.
The disputes started when the discussions turned to the new international institutions that would need to be established following the integration of the two worlds.
Nothing had been decided yet, of course, they were just that, only proposals: the establishment of a Central Trading Hub, an International Magical Medical Centre, a Joint Banking Authority, and a new United Nations Headquarters that, for the first time in history, would include representation from both magical and non-magical governments.
And every nation wanted these institutions established within its own borders, and understandably so. Hosting the headquarters of such organizations would bring not only prestige and economic opportunities, but also considerable political influence and a greater voice in shaping the future of the newly united world.
But there could only be one central authority for each sector, and certainly nowhere near enough to satisfy every nation.
The most practical solution, therefore, would be to distribute those institutions among the world's major powers or, better yet, allocate them as evenly as possible across the different continents.
The controversy stemmed from precisely that, the magical side's initial proposal which, intentionally or not, had appeared to grant Britain a rather pronounced degree of preferential treatment.
In fact, the magical side did not particularly care where these institutions were established. At least, the seven of them didn't. None of them were especially nationalistic, nor were they interested in securing advantages for their own countries.
It was actually Maverick who had steered things in Britain's favour, and no, it wasn't because he was a nationalist either. It was simply because he had already promised the Queen that he would do his best to give Britain more advantages. Hence the present situation.
"You stirred the hornet's nest, boy. Don't you think you should say something?"
Master Weiguo shot Maverick a sideways, bored glance, setting the stack of papers down on the table.
They all had an identical stack before them, and were quietly working their way through it while the debate carried on.
Maverick could only let out a helpless sigh.
"I've done my part. Now it's their turn..."
He knew the negotiations would stir controversy the moment Britain received the lion's share in his draft.
Objectively speaking, it was indeed unfair, but he did give his word to that old woman. Still, he didn't expect these old geezers to start protesting so soon. The two sides barely began negotiations, after all.
What's more, the main objective of today's meeting was to formally announce the existence of the magical world to the public, not to discuss the arrangements that would come later.
"Since we're already on the subject, Master Caeser, would you mind explaining why you're so determined to favor Britain?" asked Guimarães, his otherwise bored eyes carrying a trace of curiosity as they rested on Maverick. "Surely it's not because you have some profound love for your motherland?"
"Give him a break, Matheus," said Olympe. "His father is quite literally the head of his nation."
"I'm not complaining." Guimarães turned to her. "I couldn't care less where these new establishments end up. I'm only curious."
Maverick smiled slightly. "It's not that complicated. I simply owe the monarch of my nation a small favour."
The debate carried on in the background, while their own conversation stayed quiet, contained between just the seven of them.
"Humor me..." Master Weiguo chimed in. "Does that, perhaps, have something to do with how suspiciously cooperative and well-prepared the British non-magical authorities proved to be during your little... performance that night?"
"You can say it plainly, Master Weiguo." Maverick found he no longer cared now that the formal ICW vote passed.
Even if the old Archmage and Guimarães pieced everything together, there was little they could do about it. Besides, Maverick could tell that, despite what they might say aloud, they both approved of how things currently stood.
As for the show of contradiction Weiguo displayed during the Congress, it most likely came from doubting the Assembly would ever deliver its supermajority to Maverick's proposal, and the old wizard simply didn't want to invite further chaos as a result.
"You really do have some nerve, boy." Master Weiguo narrowed his eyes, giving Maverick a sideways glance.
Dumbledore let out a light chuckle.
"Have I said something amusing, Albus? I'm still struggling to fathom you, of all people, standing behind such a scheme."
"I haven't the faintest clue, old friend, what you're referring to."
Edward clicked his tongue. "Rather than sulking over it, you might give my pupil some credit. Whether this was some grand plan or not, things turned out for the better, haven't they? We're about to achieve something all of us wanted but were simply too chicken to admit and work toward..."
Edward didn't bother with subtlety.
"Say whatever helps you sleep at night. We all know that, given the choice, you'd rather live in the open than hiding your tail."
He paused, "And honestly, I don't think any of us could have come up with a plan even half as brilliant."
"You mean a scheme," said Olympe, smirking.
"You, of all people, have no right to say that." Guimarães smiled all the same. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he said, turning to Maverick, "but out of all of us, it should have been myself, Takamura, and old Zhang who were kept in the dark. Yes?"
"If that's your guess..." Maverick neither confirmed it nor denied it, leaning back slightly into his chair.
"You fooled us all, boy." Master Weiguo's expression gave away nothing. He paused. "But. Well played." He let out a short breath afterward, something between a sigh and, strangely, relief.
Maverick turned to glance at the old man, one eyebrow arching slightly.
Did this old thing finally... let go of all his reservations?
As though he could read the thought behind Maverick's eyes, the old wizard gave a single nod. "We shall follow your plans."
Two days earlier, after the Congress had concluded, Maverick had already shared his arrangements for what lay ahead. It was no mere verbal account, but a carefully worded, step by step draft, something he had prepared long in advance.
In his original plan, he didn't intend to have this level of cooperation with the two Archmages, but things turned out differently than he expected. The proposal to repeal the Statute of Secrecy had passed, and passed with their votes among the rest. Involving them in what came next, then, would make his future plans considerably easier to carry out.
"Let us hope the future follows the path you've laid out." Master Weiguo said, his voice carrying a certain weight now. "My reservations remain, but they no longer outweigh what is at stake. The future of the wizarding world is more important."
Maverick answered with a confident smile. He said nothing, but that was enough.
Amid the arguments echoing through the chamber, the other side quietly found common ground.
It was then that all seven turned toward the chamber's main entrance. The doors slowly opened, and a crowd of reporters, escorted by officials, filed into the chamber carrying cameras and microphones.
The arguments between the world leaders came to an end as well, the atmosphere settling quickly back into one of dignity and authority. In front of the cameras, after all, they could hardly go on conducting themselves like common merchants haggling over prices.
At last, the time had come.
Maverick turned to Dumbledore giving him a nod. The stack of papers before them contained the general plan for the day, particularly the key points to emphasize during the briefing to the world. The seven of them had already reached a tacit agreement that Dumbledore would deliver the speech.
Meanwhile, every lens in the room turned toward the seven of them, whispers rippling through the gathered press.
Who were they?
Who could possibly command enough respect to sit as equals before the presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs of the world?
What exactly had been discussed behind closed doors for all these hours?
And what earth-shattering revelation awaited the world today?
The journalists could scarcely restrain themselves from firing off their questions, and held their instincts in check only by the barest thread of patience.
As the chamber fell completely silent, the Queen of England became the first to rise. Every camera followed her as she walked toward the lone podium.
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